This invention relates to an approach for utilising a graphics multi-media integrated circuit (GMIC).
The electronic handling of media, such as graphics, can place a heavy load on a processor. For this reason, many devices (such as personal computers and mobile devices, such as cell phones and personal digital assistants) may incorporate a special purpose integrated circuit which handles media and therefore off-loads such handling from the host processor of the device. Such an integrated circuit is sometimes referred to as a graphics multi-media integrated circuit, or GMIC. Different GMICs exist as the functions that are to be performed by the GMIC vary for different devices. In general, a GMIC may include one or more of the following modules: a 2-D graphics controller; a 3-D graphics controller; a display controller; a video and input camera controller; a memory controller (e.g., a direct memory access—DMA—controller); memory (e.g., flash memory); a general purpose input/output controller; an audio processor (e.g., an audio playback controller); and a video processor (e.g., a video coder and decoder).
In a typical device, the GMIC is connected to the parallel bus of the motherboard and protocols are developed to allow communication between the GMIC and the host processor of the device. Due to a lack of standardisation for these communication protocols, GMICs are highly specific to the device in which they are used.
This invention seeks to provide an improved approach to media handling.